


some kind of chip on your shoulder

by annmeredithperkins



Category: Legally Blonde - All Media Types, Parks and Recreation
Genre: F/M, background ludwyer, ben and leslie are soulmate soulmates, law student!leslie, lesbian!ann perkins, leslie and ann are friendship soulmates, some mark/leslie but just ignore it tbh, teaching assistant!ben, technically college au, the legally blonde au everyone deserves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23722753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annmeredithperkins/pseuds/annmeredithperkins
Summary: Leslie Knope feels utterly dejected after discovering her boyfriend Mark plans to leave for Harvard Law School and end their relationship because she’s “too blonde.” Determined to prove herself and get her relationship back, she finds herself following him out of Indiana, with very little idea what awaits her ahead.
Relationships: Andy Dwyer/April Ludgate, Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt
Comments: 8
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> since listening to chip on your shoulder from the legally blonde musical and being inexplicably reminded of ben wyatt, i have been wanting to write a legally blonde benslie au and finally, i present it to you today. any form of feedback is obviously appreciated i really do suck at grasping character but i love these two they are my parents and hopefully you all want more of them just as i do after tonight’s special !! it’s 2:30 am here so i apologise for any messes going on spelling wise but hey!

When Mark told Leslie they were going out on Friday, she was sure he was getting ready to propose. They’d been dating nearly two years, which Leslie found a completely reasonable amount of time before an engagement announcement. And Mark was.. steady. 

In fact, she was so sure about it that she’d confided this presumption to her friend and fellow Pawnee Goddess Lindsay Carlisle Shay who promptly screamed it so loudly that within five minutes the entire sorority had begun planning her wedding. 

By Thursday, she was receiving hourly texts from Shauna or Brandi saying they’d seen Mark “near a flower store” or similarly coincidental locations. The girls were enthusiastic, if impractical and even the straight-talking Donna Meagle had become swayed to the idea. 

“I did hear he had lunch with his rich-ass Grandma today. I think he was getting the rock.” Donna added, in the process of painting her nails the Goddesses’ signature hot pink. 

“That doesn’t mean anything. He could be seeing his Grandma because she’s dying or something.” Leslie scoffed.

”Dark, Knope. Super dark.” 

“Sorry. I’m just nervous. You really think?”

”Here’s what I think. We’re gonna go to Plaza Eagleton-“ 

Leslie opened her mouth as if to protest. The mention of Eagleton made her bones squirm, no matter how much nicer the shopping mall was compared to Pawnee’s weak excuse that only Leslie found ‘charming’. 

”You heard me. We’re gonna go to Plaza Eagleton, get you a smoking dress for your date tomorrow and well, whatever happens, at least you’re prepared.” Her friend twisted the cap back onto the varnish bottle and tilted her head towards Leslie, who squealed briefly before hoisting herself off the couch. 

** 

When Donna had said “whatever happens”, Leslie had not even contemplated a reality where Mark said this. 

“I thought we could come here tonight and discuss our future.” Leslie had her fingers intertwined with her boyfriend, who pulled his hand away to clutch his glass as he continued. She was impatiently on the edge of her seat, imagining the applause that would inevitably come from the surrounding tables when he popped the question. 

“Obviously we’re having fun now but I’m going to Harvard soon and.. and I need to be serious.“ He stumbled. “My family expects so much from me. I cant keep fucking around Leslie.”

”I couldn’t agree more.” Leslie quipped, eyes wide and holding her head in her palms. She was a woman of forward thinking, and future plans rushed through her mind way faster than her neurons could cooperate with. 

“Great. So we need to break up.” 

“Excuse me.” She sat up, shocked, elongating the phrase longer than most. “I thought you were proposing.” 

Leslie could feel her cheeks heating up in a combination of embarrassment and anger which boiled over when she heard the slight laugh erupt from her now ex boyfriend. 

“Proposing? I’m sorry Leslie but my parents want me marrying a Jackie, not a Marilyn.”

“Wow.” Leslie could only clench her fists. 

“You’re dumping me because I’m too blonde?” She slammed her chair back, not bothering to listen to Mark’s cries of “wait, Leslie” as she stormed out of the restaurant. Her heart rate was increasing exponentially, jumping unbelievably high for someone who was naturally constantly excited. 

It was with this adrenaline unwavering that the realisation hit that Mark had driven her here. Following that, the realisation that campus was about 10 miles back. But at this point, she was too riled to see the man who had just point-blank rejected her and her stubbornness set her traipsing down the sidewalk in what she prayed was the right direction. 

**

A week later, Leslie emerged from her room, grinning widely and sprinting down the stairs. Time alone to think was just what she had required. The shock of the night had got to her after being too indulged by her fellow sisters, and it was with regret she concluded that she’d totally blown things out of proportion. Mark was the best boyfriend she’d had. He hadn’t left her in the middle of the road with a broken kneecap, which was a positive. It was just he had a crazy, East Coast elitist family and really, that was one of the easiest problems with a guy Leslie had had to solve. 

“Damn Knope, you seem happy. Is there a new Harry Potter book out or something?” 

“No. But now you’ve mentioned that I’m kind of disappointed. But no.”

Donna just raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve figured it out. Me and Mark.” Leslie’s smile had not wavered, confidence evident in her posture. 

“It seemed pretty figured out when he dumped your ass in the middle of a date but please, continue.” Donna gestured to where Leslie had perched herself on the arm of one of the couches. Others, including Lindsay and Shauna, had turned their ears to the conversation. The whole of the Goddesses’ house were curious about Leslie since she’d returned on Friday, a combination of teary and furious, before shutting herself away. 

“Well it’s obvious isn’t it? I’m going to Harvard.”

**

”You’re not going to Harvard.”

Marlene Griggs Knope made no attempt to   
look up from where she was relaxing on her patio, preferring to maintain focus on whatever political themed romance novel she was reading. 

“But, Mom..” 

“We discussed this Leslie. You’re going to intern in local government. If you still wish to pursue crazy dreams about Washington, you can do it the long and gruelling way.” Leslie made an over dramatic sigh, mumbling something under her breath that made her mother shut the book and glare exasperatedly at her daughter. 

“You look like you want to say something.” Both women had placed hands on their hips, leading them to look more related than normal. Although there was an evident resemblance, Leslie had the naivety of a soft face and sunshine locks that Marlene had replaced with tough lines and an even tougher crop. 

“Well I’ve already been accepted.” With that, she turned on her heels, failing to notice the smirk that rose on Marlene’s face. Her daughter was stupid, but also very, very smart. 

**

Marlene had been strangely non confrontational when Leslie’s first day had finally arrived. In fact, Donna was the most opposed to the idea and even she had settled into merely judgemental glances when they had hugged goodbye. “WELCOME LAW STUDENTS” banners hung above orientation tables and Leslie admired how the older students were organised by coloured shirts. Maybe she’d actually fit in here. 

“Here’s your class schedule, map and book list.” A short Indian man, more interested in his phone than the students and wearing a sloppily written ‘HELLO MY NAME IS: Tom’ badge, handed her a folder containing the aforementioned items before being distracted by his partner. The older man had been carrying a box full of replicas of the thing she was now holding before it came toppling to the floor and a cry of “Damn it, Jerry.” was the only response heard. 

“I kinda felt Harvard would be more.. refined than these two are displaying.” She turned to the girl standing next to her, all floral dresses and perfectly straightened bangs. Leslie was sure she had just met a) the prettiest woman she had ever seen and b) her new best friend. 

Leslie chuckled, “Talk about Tom and Jerry..” which seemed to bring a smile to the other woman’s lips, tinted a rosy pink colour. 

“I’m Ann by the way.” 

“Leslie.” 

“I hope I see more of you Leslie. You seem like the most sensible person I’ve met today.” Ann smiled, eyes flicking to the incident they had just witnessed. Leslie had little time to respond before Ann was walking away, waving sheepishly back at her as she went. 

** 

Leslie’s first class was in less than an hour and she was still mulling over which of her pantsuits would say to Mark that she was ‘sophisticated but with a hint of slutty.’ She wanted the first time Mark set eyes on her to scream ‘you shouldn’t have broken up with me in what was actually one of Pawnee’s mediocre restaurants when I look this good.’ 

Around 55 minutes later when she finds herself purposely walking past him in the semi crowded hallway, she hopes this is the effect she’s achieved as she hears the shocked call of “Leslie?”

“Mark? God. I totally forgot you were coming here.”

“What do you mean? Aren’t you here to see me?”

She swallows the annoyance she feels at that and instead laughs heartily.

“No. I go here.” 

“To Harvard?” 

“Yep.” She pops the ‘p’, watching Mark‘s expression convert from confusion to what she hopes is awe. 

“You got into Harvard Law?”

“It wasn’t that difficult really. When you have a GPA like I do and such a track record of volunteering. I practically grew up in Pawnee City Hall, you know?” She hopes to god she sounded more sure of herself than she felt but really, she was smart enough to get here. Wasn’t that enough for Mark? Did that prove to his parents she could be a Jackie? Probably not. Actually sitting through classes and maintaining her solid grades would be a more sure-fire way of convincing them, yet Leslie wasn’t sure if she could manage that at the minute. It seemed she was about to find out. 

“We should really get to class.” She lamented, and Mark followed, still seemingly surprised he had encountered Leslie at all. 

**

“The seat you picked today will be yours for the next nine months. Enjoy it. I have no time for complaints or disputes, just law.” Professor Swanson looked and spoke like he’d be more suited to being a reclusive park ranger than a Harvard law teacher, but Leslie Knope was certainly not one to question other people’s being here. She had placed herself towards the front of the class, glossy new binder and gel pen set organised neatly in front of her. 

“The law is reason free from passion. Who spoke these words? You!” He pointed at a boy behind Leslie, who had a terrible haircut and she thought she’d heard was called Johnny or Jeremy or something. 

“Aristotle.” 

“Are you sure?” Professor Swanson stared pointedly, his reaction incredibly guarded.

“I don’t know.” Jeremy squirmed. 

“You must know before you speak, son. Law leaves room for interpretation, but not for self doubt. Now you!” His gaze had turned to Leslie, who bit her lip nervously. 

“Tell me about Gordon vs. Steele.” Leslie was flustered, unaccustomed to being so put on the spot. 

“I.. I…” She stammered. 

“Stop.” The man waved his hand at her, disappointed. 

“Who here finds it unacceptable that Miss Knope is unprepared?” Silence washed over Leslie, spread by her classmates’ fear.

“Who here supports my decision to remove Miss Knope from the class until she is more prepared for the education she is receiving?” Leslie knew there was no one in the class willing to dispute Professor Swanson and with one glance back at the teacher, she saw how deadly serious he was and found herself unconsciously packing away her belongings and leaving the classroom.

**

“Are you okay there? You have the trademark look of distress worn only by someone who just got booted from Swanson’s class.” Leslie wiped her eyes messily before following the voice to a gangly but attractive guy who moved to sit opposite her on the bench. He looked older but not teacher-old, just wiser than she can imagine anyone on their first week looking. 

“Do they do that a lot? Put you on the spot and then kick you out if you don’t know?” Leslie was genuinely shocked by the behaviour, having never experienced such a brutal environment. Her companion just laughed. 

“Socratic method. Swanson’s the worst for it! He made me cry once…” He lowered his head in embarrassment before attempting to clarify.

“Not in class though. I managed to make it back to my dorm before my mental breakdown. Who else do you have?” Leslie spun her schedule round to show him. She had more trust in this guy she had shared three sentences with than anyone else at the school, and judging by the concentration in his face as he looked over the document, she had placed it correctly. 

“Oh, Traeger’s a good friend of mine. Make sure you speak up in his class. He loves participation.” 

“Okay. I’m glad I met you..” Leslie threw him a genuine smile, which he seemed to return, before it dropped instantaneously as he glanced behind her. 

“Can I talk to you, Les?” She heard the distinct tone of Mark over her shoulder and rolled her eyes.

“Good luck.” Her advisor mouthed before rising and she was unsure whether he meant in class or with Mark, since either would’ve been appropriate. 

“Sure. How have you been?” She stuttered, standing to get closer to his height and wrapping her arms around herself, conscious of her every move.

“Good. There’s someone I wanted you to meet. My fiancé, Ann.” Leslie had very little time for her brain to make the connection before Ann, the beautiful, intelligent butterfly she had met at orientation, slipped her hand into Mark’s. She felt her chest tightening. There was no way Mark had not only replaced her, but was already engaged. 

“Oh! It’s you, Leslie. How great to see you again.” Ann grinned and Leslie decided right then that was the worst part of this. Ann seemed like a genuinely wonderful human but at this point all Leslie could think about was stabbing a pencil through her eye. She was notoriously bad at covering her true feelings and before her expression could morph into a grimace, she’d blurted how she had to go to the whiz palace and got out of there as quickly as possible.

** 

“Hi, you look terrible.” The girl at the desk, who was filing her nails much too aggressively, smirked at her. She was younger than Leslie, around 19, and wore a black and purple jumper that did not look appropriate attire for the bright salon she evidently worked for. 

“You don’t wanna know.”

“No please!” She looked genuinely enthused. “Gossip is literally the only reason I took this job. Well, and the money. Well, and my mom runs the salon. But, gossip!” 

“I came to Harvard to win back my ex boyfriend and he’s now engaged.” Leslie sighed. 

“Okay, wow. Sit down. I need to know more about you. My names Satan or April, whichever suits. What’s this new girl like then?”

“Disgustingly pretty and clearly smart and actually really lovely and…” Leslie trailed off as April grabbed her nail equipment and sat across from her.

“She sounds fucking awful.” 

Leslie laughed. Genuinely laughed. Ann wasn’t awful, not one bit, but Leslie liked the sympathy she was receiving and felt like it was well earned. As they settled into a rhythm, the bell above the door chimed obnoxiously and she heard April groan at the sound. 

“Hey ladies.” A delivery man, sporting a heavily signed cast on his left arm, placed the package he was holding on the counter with his right before turning to April and grinning as he held out the sheet to sign. 

She rolled her eyes but Leslie saw the way her lips turned up slightly at the corners as she scribbled her name on the paper. 

“Okay. Cool. Bye then.” He proceeded to the door, managing to knock over a display of hair care products on the way with his injured arm which caused April to hide a laugh. 

**

“Would you rather have a client who committed a crime malum in se or malum prohibitum?” Professor Chris Traeger’s chirpy voice projected towards Leslie. Ben, her advisor and now perhaps the only friend she had on campus, was perched on a desk near the front of the room. She’d discovered merely moments ago he was a TA and her face lit up slightly more than she expected it to when she saw him sitting in on her class. 

“I mean, importantly, we all want a client that’s innocent right?” Leslie blurted, glancing over at Ben, who was skeptical where she was going with this.

“In one sense, you are entirely correct Miss Knope. But in another, much more practical sense, you are not.” Chris’ ability to make even her most stupid outbursts seem trivial shook Leslie more than the mistake itself. 

“Ann Perkins.” He finger gunned her. Ann threw Leslie a shy smile that reeked of pity. 

“Malum prohibitum. Because then, urm, the client would’ve committed a regulatory infraction as opposed to a dangerous crime.” 

“Great job! You want to study Medical Law, am I correct?” Leslie had stopped listening by this point, trapped in her own embarrassment and desperately waiting for the lesson to end. 

**

“That was a disaster. A disaster.”

“Leslie, slow down!” Ben was jogging behind her to keep up, surprised how little effect his height advantage had. She could for sure walk quickly when she wanted to. 

“I can't believe I thought I could do this. That I could show Mark I was good enough for him.” Leslie toed the gravel beneath her feet, looking close to kicking it out of frustration. 

“Woah. Hold on, you’re here because of a boy? That’s...” He rubbed his hand along his temple, then began to laugh. “You enrolled in Harvard Law because of your ex.” He wasn’t sure where the laughter was coming from, more a display of insanity than actually humouring the situation. 

“So what? You can’t judge me! Why are you even here?” 

“I?” Ben contemplated, before quickly backtracking. “It doesn’t matter about me. The point is I’m a responsible adult here for the right reasons.” 

“Oh, a responsible adult? Hmm because, to me, it just sounds like you have a chip on your shoulder.” Leslie had folded her arms, looking much more stubborn than she had merely seconds ago. Ben realised quickly this was a woman who did not like to be challenged, and that maybe that made him like her even more. 

“Well maybe a chip on your shoulder is exactly what you need to get motivated and actually do well in this class! Better than you’re doing now, at least.” It was meant as a push, a motivation, but as soon as he spoke those words he regretted it, watching her face fall from anger to pure hurt. 

“You’re a jackass, Ben.” She quipped, walking away. 

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, this isn’t perfectly edited just skimmed a couple of times. apologies for the overuse of commas but besides that, have fun.

Leslie had found an appropriate nook in the library and was willing herself to absorb the information in the criminally long textbooks placed in front of her. 

Her dorm room felt sad and lonely, and the library (although quiet) brought her the much needed sense of community she was homesick for away from the Goddesses. Her adventures in Harvard had not yet been the successful 90s rom com she hoped for, and as much as it churned her insides to say it, Ben the Jackass may have had a valid point beneath his stupid plaid shirts and stupid hair that refused to agree on a direction. 

As the days wore on, it was less about Mark and more about how she avoided making a total embarrassment of herself in class. She was smart, but inexperienced in this field and decidedly needed to knuckle down into some tedious law cases. 

“Hey.” Contrary to their first meeting, Ben hung back from the desk opposite her, clearly guilty and not wanting to overstep his mark. 

“I wanted to apologise for how I acted before.” Leslie half smiled at that and motioned for him to join her. “I might not agree with your reasons for being here, but it wasn’t fair for me to act superior about it.” 

“Why? You’re clearly not here chasing after any of your exes... or  _ are you?”  _ He chuckled at the way her eyebrows wiggled. He knew she’d have a good sense of humour about these things when the heat of the moment wasn’t scolding her tongue with harsh words. 

“I’m not. But I’m here because I made a huge mistake a few years ago. I ran for mayor of my small town in Minnesota.. and won.. and bankrupt them. I’m barely allowed within city limits anymore.” He tried to shrug nonchalantly but Leslie could see it was something that obviously held more power than he wished.

“Oh my god! You’re Benji Wyatt? I heard about you.” She giggled and usually when people giggled at his past Ben felt the need to cry or punch a wall, but with her it was more the need to grab her free hand in his own or kiss her mouth. 

“So I came here to prove I could do something and not fuck it up this time. Which hopefully I haven’t.”

“You haven’t.”

“Thank god. You have a lot of drive Leslie. Somewhere in there. You wanna run for office someday right?” Leslie was shocked he could even know that about her. It was something she’d told her mom, sure. But was it realistic? Not with the way her grades here were currently shaping up. 

“Sure.”

“Then it might be time to look carefully at where your priorities lie.” He smiled, a crooked half smile that made Leslie realise how nice his face actually was. 

“Thanks Benjamin. I mean, Ben.” 

“You’re welcome, Lesliemin. Leslie.” He smirked, backing into a chair as he stood and cursing under his breath before turning so she couldn’t see the reddening working it’s way up his neck to his cheeks. 

**

The phrase “knuckle down” had never really sat right with Leslie, who didn’t like the implication of violence being so closely connected to work, however it was the most appropriate term for her increase in law revision. She often spent evenings tucked behind a desk, scribbling away notes or at the salon, forcing April to quiz her.

“Urgh. Who killed JFK?”

“April, that is not one of the questions. This is serious!” Leslie pleaded, as April finished touching up the wildflowers on her friend’s nails. 

“Leslie you are so much better at this than you used to be. Can’t we take a break?” April’s answer to everything seemed to be ‘take a break’ and Leslie estimated she did around 20% of the work she was paid for, but the blonde had to admit the sun setting was an indication for them to stop. 

“Fine.” She sighed reluctantly, getting ready to leave just as the delivery man appeared. Leslie stopped him in his tracks. His cast had been removed now and he was instead sporting a Powerpuff Girls plaster on his jaw. “What’s your name, delivery guy?” 

“It’s. Urm. It’s Andy. Andrew. Burt Macklin sometimes when the band’s doing dress up night.”

“You’re in a band?” April piped up, resting her chin between her palms, looking more interested than Leslie had seen her previously.

“Yeah. We’re called Mouse Rat. You should come see us sometime.” He smiled at her and Leslie felt like a proud elder sister, the cupid for her family happiness. 

“She definitely will!” Leslie cut in before April could disagree and she gave the parcel to her before shuffling out the door. “See you next time, Satan!” 

Leslie missed having a close knit group to spend time with but Harvard Law’s resident study group was run by Ann Perkins herself and this encouraged Leslie to work alone. Ann had thrown her smiles across classrooms and the library but Leslie had stubbornly blanked her in return.

It was fairly late in the academic day, and the study groups were winding down when Ann had called a bathroom break for herself and her friends. Leslie had happened to walk past the table, gazing briefly at the team’s notes and definitely not participating in what her mom would describe as snooping.

A small error leaped out to Leslie on one of the cards and she decided that she was not evil; she could anonymously correct the note before anybody returned to the table. She’d become a lot more confident in her grasp of the core material and couldn’t be the type of person to leave this unedited. It was perhaps the friendliest thing she’d done for Ann and when the other girl returned to her seat, Leslie noticed the raise of her eyebrow and the smirk of appreciation at the correction. Leslie missed the Goddesses and she wasn’t sure her and Ann were gonna be close anytime soon, but she returned to her dorm with an extra layer of pride than usual. 

She and Ben would see each other often, him flitting around the areas she’d become more comfortable in. 

“Are you checking up on me?” She’d deadpanned one day to a stammered attempt at “no” in response. 

“Can you at least make yourself useful and grab me The Official Guide to Legal Specialities’. They keep it on the top shelf for some obviously completely sexist reason and I haven’t managed to jump high enough for it yet.” 

Ben took her suggestion of making himself useful to heart and after the day retrieving her required reading material, he vowed to bring her coffee when she began to look drained. 

She wasn’t sure how to describe their relationship. All she knew was that he’d raced her round campus to her building (which she was 90% sure was nowhere near his own home) and gifted her his pristine set of freshman year flash cards. She also knew he was the person who had pushed her, the hardass TA with a chip on his shoulder that led her to stop whining and start learning.

** 

Leslie had one class with Mark, and that was Thursday afternoons with Professor Traeger. After her first disastrous attempt, she’d tried to gain the teacher’s favour, with lots of supportive looks from Ben whenever he was around. She was pretty sure she’d made it into Traeger’s top five students by Christmas with her more confident contributions, but Mark and Ann were undoubtedly up there as well. 

“Our defendant is a habitual sperm donor, who  _ also  _ happens to be harassing the parents for visitation. Brendanawicz! Thoughts?” Mark sat up, cracking his fingers, something that always annoyed Leslie and encouraged an unnoticed eye roll from Ben. 

“Well, without this man’s sperm, the child wouldn’t exist.” 

“Yes! You’re speaking like a lawyer.” 

Leslie raised her hand tentatively, glancing at the TA for reassurance as he raised a subtle thumbs up. 

“Yes, Leslie?” 

“Well… did the defendant keep a thorough record of every sperm emission through his life?” She could hear a semblance of a laugh but continued, unfazed.

“Because, unless he attempted to track and contact every one night stand to see if a child resulted from those — he has no parental claim over this child. Why now? Why this sperm?” She saw the man at the front of the classroom urging her to finish. 

“I mean, for that matter, all masturbatory emissions could be termed reckless abandonment.” 

“Miss Knope!” Traeger grinned. “You just won your case.” She exhaled thankfully, catching Ben’s eye, who threw her a wink that made her hold back a laugh. 

“Leslie. You  _ must  _ apply for my internship. You are  _ literally  _ exactly the type of candidate I’m looking for.” Relaxed and pleased with herself, Leslie wrote herself a note in her day planner  **APPLY FOR INTERNSHIP** surrounded by several smiley faces.

**

“Leslie!” She heard a voice cry across the hallway.

“Ann!” Her face lit up seeing that the brunette wished to speak to her before she remembered to play it cool. “Oh, Ann. It’s you.” 

“Can I talk to you about something?” 

“You can certainly open your mouth and say words and—“ 

“Me and Mark split up.” Ann had dropped her head, gaze fixed upon her shoes as Leslie let out a small “Oh.”

“Is it because he’s a stupid jerk face douche who doesn’t appreciate your wonderful ethnic blend and amazing law skills?” She heard Ann giggle at that and it occurred to Leslie she regretted every negative thing her brain had thought about her fellow classmate, all due to a boy that frankly deserved neither of them. 

“No. Well, maybe. I worry about his ego sometimes. But, no. I’ve been thinking a lot and well, I’m gay.” 

“Ann I’m flattered but..” She was cut off by the taller girl hitting her playfully on the arm. 

“Shush! I don’t have a crush on you. But I definitely don’t have a crush on Mark either.. or actually any man really. I’m sorry! You just seemed like someone I could tell.” Ann shrugged and Leslie pulled her into a hug spontaneously. 

“That’s really great, Ann.” Ann tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, evidently still nervous but increasingly sure she’d made the right decision. 

“I think we could be really good friends Leslie. I don’t have a lot of them. Even less since I decided to dump one of Harvard’s top “bros” because I was more into “hoes”.” She included her own quotation marks, which only encouraged Leslie that they’d be totally amazing best friends. 

“I’d really like that. I also  _ really  _ have to drop off this resume with Professor Traeger and Ben. But please can we get coffee later?”

“Sure. Didn’t realise someone was on a first name basis with Mr Wyatt though.” She nudged, which made Leslie stutter a lot of “What? Who’s Ben?” whilst Ann started down the corridor.

Traeger’s classroom was empty when she entered but she could hear someone talking to themself in the attached office.

“Ben?” He jumped, scattering papers haphazardly.

“Oh! Hey Les. You doing okay?” Leslie felt her heart skip as he tried to present himself coolly, leaning against the doorframe. 

“I’ve just come to hand in my resume.. for the internship.” She rummaged in her bag, neatly organised and pulled out a freshly printed and stapled document. Ben watched as she did, unable to stop his mind from returning to the place it always did with Leslie. They were properly alone, which was actually a rarer occasion than you’d think, and his inhibitions were threatening to run away with him. 

“Cool.” He nodded, using one hand to take the paper from her and the other to grab her face and pull her in to him. The way Ben kissed her was so self-assured and smooth and yet with an urgency, like her lips were the most precious and exciting thing he’d seen or tasted.

Kissing Mark had been nice but kissing Ben was as addictive as the vodka cranberries she’d drink at the Snakehole lounge, Donna and Lindsay dancing beside her. 

“Uh oh.” She pulled away and it was the fear she saw in Ben’s eyes, like he felt that he’d make a huge mistake, that led her back to his lips, arms wrapping around his neck and dancing in his hair as she slid her tongue into his mouth. 

** 

Both Leslie and Ann had squealed in identically perfect pitch when they’d seen their names scrawled side by side on the list of Professor Traeger’s interns. 

Since their hallway encounter, the girls had been meeting daily for lunch or seeing each other after class. Leslie had forgotten how much she missed the pure and wonderful connection of female friendship and it was just another plus that Ann was one of the smartest people on the program. 

The internship seemed like Leslie’s dream. She could spend time with her new best friend and also her now maybe boyfriend definitely make out partner Ben. Sure, Professor Traeger was there, but Ben had reassured her that Chris was okay, he just needed toning down occasionally. And she  _ was  _ allowed to call him Chris, you know? 

Unfortunately, it seemed Harvard took whatever Leslie dreamed and added an extra sprinkle of annoying because one of the other three interns accompanying herself and Ann was none other than Mark. 

Neither of them had spoken to their ex, who Ann had taken to avoiding like the plague and Leslie had decided she just no longer cared about. 

Chris was his usual overzealous self, handing out folders of cases to his “fabulous five” whilst bouncing about how Ben should get the group a coffee machine  _ immediately _ . 

They worked steadily, Ben and Leslie catching each other’s eyes often and smiling. Mark was in a lousy mood, all his movements loud and more aggressive than was natural. 

Ann had waved Leslie over to confer on a document and Leslie slid her arms around her friend, leaning into her. Mark sighed overdramatically which caused Chris to tilt his head in the man’s direction. 

“I’m just trying to concentrate on the case, whilst it seems my two exes are more preoccupied with each other.” Mark gritted. Ann’s eyes widened and she was about to retort when Ben got there first. 

“Hey Brendanawicz. Shut the hell up. They’re not bothering anyone but you.” Leslie spun in shock, her arm still around Ann’s waist. She’d seen Ben annoyed or disapproving but this looked and sounded like Ben was angry at Mark, and it was perhaps the hottest she’d ever seen him. 

Mark was pouting at the outburst, looking like he’d respond if he wasn’t aware that Ben had more authority than himself. 

Leslie squeezed Ann once before letting go and walking over to where Ben was sat. She raised her eyebrow at him briefly, trying to gage his reaction and when he made no attempt to protest, straddled his lap and attacked his lips with her own. They continued until Chris coughed, clearly irritable and Ann snorted in response.

“Okay! Now that completely inappropriate public display of affection is over, let’s get back to work.” 

** 

“This is my friend Ann.” Leslie gestured. 

“Ew. Ann as in ‘stole your man Ann’. Why did you bring her here? Damn it, I’ll fetch the holy water.” 

“April, stop.” Leslie grabbed April’s arm before she could walk away. “We like Ann now. It wasn’t fair, since she didn’t do anything wrong, that I was mean to her. And I’m sorry.” She directed the last part at Ann herself, who just took her hand and smiled. 

“Fine. Sit down then. I’ll paint your stupid nails.” However, before April could even ask about a colour choice that she’d purposely ignore, the door chimed and Andy entered, out of breath like he’d run there. 

“April!” He panted. “We just got this gig. At this bar downtown. You  _ have  _ to come! And you definitely have to come back to my place afterwards so we can make out.” Leslie and Ann shared a look of confusion but April just nodded, muttered “Cool.” and saw him out. 

“That was weird.” Ann scoffed whilst Leslie shook her head.

“Not for them.” The two laughed before the door chimed again and April glared like she was going to kill whoever the next intruder was. 

“Hi.” Ben said sheepishly, strangely intimidated by the young latina. “I’m here to pick up Leslie.” 

“Who’s Leslie? I have a Lester and an Arnold.” April smiled sweetly, pointing to where Leslie and Ann sat around the small table. 

“Great. I’ll take Lester please.” She looked pleased he had played along and Leslie felt a surge of pride and affection for him. Hugging Ann goodbye, she walked over to Ben, kissing him sweetly. 

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“Okay guys. This is a salon, not a strip club. Have fun on your date.” April ‘escorted’ them out, pushing them towards the door. 

“I’ve been thinking..” Leslie said as they crossed the street, Ben’s hand on the small of her back. Once they were across, she linked her arm with his, leaning against his shoulder. 

“Be careful with that.” He joked and she shoved him lightly before pulling him back towards her. 

“Maybe coming to Harvard under completely psycho pretences wasn’t such a bad idea after all.” 

  
  
  



End file.
